No More Milk For Free & Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Okay, so today was a good day. It was the first birthday in a long time where I didn't think about how old I was. I didn't mind when I got outed at work as being 39 and yes was verified to be the oldest person on the show. Working for three story producers (writers) that are 26, 33 and 34. Hey, at their age that's where I was. So it's not like it's all that surprising. Well, not to me. They were a little more shocked. I think Grant's mouth actually fell open in a cartoon-like fashion. But I love Grant or am in deep like. He's a quiet kind of funny and he's beginning to get me.

So my birthday today consisted of phone calls and emails from all the people I care about. And it was nice to be cared about. To watch my phone vibrate on my desk whether I could take the call or not. It really made my day. I was happy with the LA Times piece, happy to be working on "Driving Force" and happy to be able to go to yoga at 9pm. And that's what I did. I didn't feel the need to do a traditional celebration type thing. I've done those. Being closer to where you want is a much bigger celebration just in and of itself. Seeing movement. That's the biggest gift I could get or ever ask for. And it's been a long time coming.

Pre-birthday I didn't want a cake and today it didn't occur to me that they would even do something at work until I saw them hiding the cake. Which I thought was very sweet. As was the song and the fact they kept a tasteful amount of candles on the cake. Truly, they are just really good people. Really. When Eric Medlen died (one of the drivers on John Force's team who passed away Friday of last week after having an accident the week prior in Gainesville), the way that they banded together, genuinely cared about him and the Force family and ralllied to show support by creating a reel in his memory was truly astounding. It makes me feel so very, very lucky to be there.

Because putting in time and giving up their weekend and just doing the work for him wasn't even a question. For anyone. No bitching, no complaining. Which there shouldn't be. But I've been at jobs where there was even when a tragedy was involved. It made me feel proud to be there. My boss, Brian, kept thanking us for staying late and working to pull clips. To me, it wasn't even something worth thanking me for. It was something I should absolutely do and did want to do. And sincerely? I know everyone on the show felt the same way, but still they thank us. It's pretty great... not to be taken for granted.

So, on this day. A very good day, I am saying goodbye to my blog quite happily. My blog was a great way to get out what I needed to when I wanted to-- to keep myself alive as a writer, so to speak-- and it recorded a time that is frankly a blur to me. Almost unbelievable. And sometimes a little bit shocking. And considering the people I work with know little about me yet think my stories are fascinating-- and they've actually only heard but one blip on my story radar-- it's a good reality check for me. (No pun intended). That I do have stories to tell. I have lived a life. And it's not over yet. It hasn't been easy. It's never been easy. But it's been fascinating even to me sometimes, I have to admit. And at times, I have felt like I was watching a movie of my life instead of actually living it. Because as Augusten Burroughs said in his book "Magical Thinking"-- all he wanted to be was normal. But here's the thing, that's what we people of dysfunctional families always wanted and what we'll never get. And perhaps if we fix ourselves just enough and have just enough time and confidence, we can at least entertain normal people and maybe even make a little money in the bargain.

Thanks for reading.

Oh, and here's the LA Times link: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-wk-tell29mar29,1,5417755.story